Masked Israeli settlers attacked European diplomats, a French mayor, the archbishop of Cambrai, and Palestinians in the occupied West Bank, according to reports from Al Jazeera, The Guardian, BBC News, and Middle East Eye. The violent incident occurred in Taybeh, a largely Christian village east of Ramallah, as settlers attempted to stop Palestinians from harvesting olives on their own land.
Bernard Baudoux, the 78-year-old left-wing mayor of the northern French town of Aulnoye-Aymeries, was wearing his red, white, and blue sash of office during the incident. According to witnesses and diplomats cited by Middle East Eye, masked settlers verbally assaulted the delegation before kicking Baudoux and knocking him to the ground as he attempted to enter a vehicle with diplomatic plates. Video footage circulated online showed the mayor slumped on the ground against a car. Two people who spoke with him confirmed he was hurt, though he did not require hospital treatment. The assault injured three people in total and damaged a car.
Witnesses stated that diplomats from the French, Belgian, and Polish missions had traveled to the village to observe the olive harvest. Belgium condemned the attack on the European envoy, while Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar also condemned the violence, referring to the perpetrators as rioters. According to Middle East Eye, Saar faulted the diplomats for failing to coordinate their visit with the Israeli military. The Israeli military condemned the violence, while the prime minister's office characterized the criticism as part of a smear campaign, as reported by BBC News.
The attack took place amid broader tensions over Israeli settlement expansion in the occupied West Bank. Separately, the European Council issued a warning to companies regarding potential legal, economic, and reputational consequences if they involve themselves with the E1 settlement construction tender. The E1 plan aims to construct thousands of new housing units between Jerusalem and the Maale Adumim settlement, a project that critics warn would divide the West Bank and threaten the viability of a Palestinian state. The European Council urged Israel to reverse settlement expansion and withdraw the E1 tenders, noting that settlements are illegal under international law.
